


Serendipity

by missanonyma



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, Fix-It, I hate it here, Varchie!Centric, varchie
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-13 13:13:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29526918
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/missanonyma/pseuds/missanonyma
Summary: After the grueling weeks and moments of reconnection and back and forth, he and Veronica are officially back together. He never thought it was a possibility, that he lost her forever. Hell, he didn’t think was ever gonna see her again after he said goodbye when they were 18. But then again he never thought he would be a teacher at Riverdale High either, or that he would ever choose to settle in Riverdale. But here he is.
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge
Comments: 9
Kudos: 50





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> as usual, this is unedited so ignore any and all grammar mistakes the episode messed me up fr.

The past few months have been eventful for Archie’s life to say the least. 

After the grueling weeks and moments of reconnection and back and forth, he and Veronica are officially back together. He never thought it was a possibility, that he lost her forever. Hell, he didn’t think was ever gonna see her again after he said goodbye when they were 18. But then again he never thought he would be a teacher at Riverdale High either, or that he would ever choose to settle in Riverdale. But here he is.

After a lot of stress and anger, Veronica filed for divorce from Chad. He doesn’t know all of the specifics, but he can see for himself the similarities between them and her parents. And after spending most of his high school experience picking up the pieces and listening to Veronica’s frustrations and trauma inflicted by her father, he can completely understand why she needed to leave. 

Even if now that she’s not married anymore that means he’s back in the picture for her. 

They agreed to take things slow, to relearn each other and the people they’ve become in their time apart rather than jumping right back in where they left off, but it wouldn’t really be  _ them _ without some adjustment to the definition of slow but they can’t really help themselves, they have seven years to make up for.

More importantly,  _ he _ has seven years to make up for, and he intends to do so.

Walking around the halls of Riverdale High is odd to do knowing he’s a teacher here, but Archie makes do. He’s getting used to it but some things still feel out of place, like how his old locker now belongs to a small freshman, or how every clique is the same just recycled. Or maybe even how the economics teacher is no longer smelly old Mr. Fletcher, but Ms. Lodge.

She’s a harsh grader, doesn’t leave room for much error, and doesn’t accept nonsense from troublemakers or delinquents. What drives the boys crazy is how she favors her female students in a claim of reverse societal norms, but in Archie’s opinion he thinks it’s cool. A lot of students tend to hate her as she gives out more detentions than any other teacher, though the female inclined students are known to have crushes on her, and Archie’s right along with them.

The gist is don’t mess around in her class, or else you’ll have to take it again, and no one really wants that. And everyone knows if you mess with Ms. Lodge, Coach Andrews will make you run laps.

“... Read to page 163 in your textbooks before our next class or else you’ll be completely lost. Thank you,” he smiles from the open door, patiently waiting as she dismisses her class. He has a full thirty minutes of freedom before he has to coach football practice and he can’t think of any other place he’d rather be than sneaking in some time with her.

He gives a couple of nods to a couple of his Varsity players that are in her class as they file out, Archie steps in just as the door is closing and the last student exits.

“Can I help you?” she asks with a tilt of her head, raising her eyebrow innocently as if she cannot fathom why he would ever be paying her a visit as he walks towards her.

“Y’know what I think my favorite part about working here is?” he places his hands on her waist and smiles when hers touch his face. He really likes that she does that again. “Now we have our own personal classroom to meet in, and we don’t have to worry about getting caught.”

“Oh well we should still worry, Weatherbee could walk in whenever,” she points out, looking at him expectantly, but gaze drifting to his lips.

“Well then let's just hope he doesn’t,” he shrugs, making her laugh as he finally kisses her. Archie sighs at how good it feels, it’s always felt good. So refreshing and comforting, and now he feels little butterflies in his stomach, like he’s fifteen and kissing his first girlfriend. But she’s not new, she’s Veronica. He’s kissing  _ Veronica _ .

“I missed you,” she whispers, not giving him enough time to answer before she’s kissing him again. “My place, tonight? 

That’s been the routine lately. She waits for football practice to end, they go back to her place and order dinner, they chat here and there but they don’t spend much time not rolling around on her mattress. There have been some rather domestic views though, her grading papers while wearing his shirt and him waking her up softly in the morning, letting her know it’s time to get up for work. He loves it so much.

“Yeah, that sounds good, but I do have something to ask you, though.”

She pulls away, waiting for him to continue as he runs his hands up her arms. 

“I want to go on a date, a real second first date, and just talk and have fun,” he says with slight hesitation, getting nervous now that he’s actually saying it. He hopes she doesn’t think the idea’s dumb. “I know we probably can’t go to Pop’s at the risk of seeing students there and our schedules are just really busy with football games and lesson plans but I can cook for you at my place, on Friday, and have a date like if we were out some place nice-”

“I’d like that,” Veronica cuts him off, grinning and rubbing her thumb over his cheek bone. They’ve been back together not even two weeks, but he feels more secure than he has in a  _ long  _ time. “What about your current tenant, though? I don’t know if I want him around for our grown up date.”

“I’ll make Jughead go in the garage or something, I promise it’ll be just us.”

She hums contently, closing her eyes briefly. “I like hearing you say us again.”

He smiles, taking hold of her left hand and kissing her knuckles. He does that a lot, he’s noticed, kissing the bare strip of skin that used to hold a wedding band that belonged to a man who didn’t treat her right. He likes to kiss it, like a promise, that this is real and that this is like when they first met. He’s not like the guys she’s known before, he’s not like Chad,  _ he loves her _ , not some idea of her in his head.

He meant it when he said it to her when he was sixteen and since they’ve re-entered each other’s lives he’s meant it even more.

He’s about to lean in and kiss her again, but the sound of the door opening and the new version of Reggie Mantle opening his mouth to speak ruins the mood.

“Oh shi- Sorry Ms. Lodge, Sorry Coach, I swear I-”

“It’s fine, Velasquez, I’m leaving,” Archie says loudly, squeezing Veronica’s hand before turning to leave. “If you’re late for practice again you’re running laps.”

  
  
  


“Woah, woah, woah, so you guys are already saying the L word again?” Jughead remarks, distracting Archie briefly from the wine he’s currently trying to choose from. As his current roommate, Jughead comes along for all the grocery shopping. Or rather, Archie pays for the cart Jughead fills up for the both of them.

Archie glances at Jughead while he eats the chips he brought as his food buying snack. “Well yeah, I mean it was kind of a big deal for her to leave Chad and everything, she didn’t for herself but she also didn’t do it for no other reason,” he says, looking at the shelves as he speaks. “And all the time we’ve spent talking before she did… I’ve gotten to know her again, and she’s changed but she’s still her, she’s still Ronnie, y’know.”

Archie shrugs, scratching the back of his neck and not too consciously aware at how much he’s sharing. “And she’s helped me see that too, that I’m still me, after all this shit, I’ve changed and grown but I’m still me.”

He looks at Jughead embarrassedly, expecting some sort of remark about him being a softie or something. But that’s not what he finds, he’s more smiling.

“I’m really happy for you, Arch. Really,” Jughead grins. 

Archie clears his throat, nodding, and diverting his gaze back to the wine selection. 

“Who would’ve thought? You getting back together with one of my least favorite people, and I’m okay with it.”

Archie rolls his eyes. Veronica and Jughead bicker a lot but deep down they care about the other’s well being, he knows. Still, it gets annoying that they still argue like little kids fighting over a candy bar.

“Do you think she’ll like this?” he asks, picking out a bottle of red and looking to Jughead for his opinion.

“Honestly Archie anything she’d pick out herself you wouldn’t be able to find in a one hundred mile radius of this town, so just go with the Cabernet and let's go grab some microwave pizzas.”

  
  


He’s starting to get cold feet, which is the last thing he really needed. As much as he likes to think he’s matured from the teenager going on dates and getting heart eyed in front of girls he likes, the fact he feels like throwing up just knowing she’s going to be here any second doesn’t help.

The whole point of the date was to get to know her better, fill in the gaps he missed, show her how committed he is to this. He knows she loves him, and he loves her too, but just because they’ve already established that he’s not going to skip out on romancing her all over again. He hopes he doesn’t embarrass himself.

The Andrews house is currently being redecorated and repaired (also the excuse they’ve been using whenever their friends comment on them arriving to school in the same car), but he’s hoping to make the best of the situation.

Enough of the rooms are finished that they’ll be fine for tonight, plus he got Jughead to go crash at Toni’s place for the night so they can have some privacy.

He checks himself out in the mirror one more time. Light stubble so he doesn’t look 19? Check. Shirt with no logos or holes? Check (he had to put serious effort into this one). Dinner is cooked? Check. 

“It’s gonna be fine,” he mumbles to himself. “You’re 25, your girlfriend is coming over for dinner. Don’t be anxious, it’s just Ronnie.”

When the doorbell rings he nearly drops his phone, but he manages to pull himself and answer the door.

She looks  _ amazing _ .

Her hair, straight now and styled differently than it used to, sits on her shoulders and she’s wearing some blue dress that looks beautiful against her golden skin. 

Briefly, he thinks about how this could’ve been something he saw for seven years. Coming home from army tours, and having her pick him up at the airport. Seven birthdays, seven christmases, seven thanksgivings they all could’ve spent together. 

Archie blinks, ignoring the thoughts of the pasts he knows he dwells in and quickly ushers her inside.

“You look-”

“Stunning? Beautiful? Dazzling, even?” she offers, looking to him expectantly.

He nods. “Yeah, all of those.”

“I try,” she kisses him, hand on his shoulder, before stepping back. “Okay, Archiekins,  _ you _ invited  _ me _ here for a real second first date, I believe your wording was. Let’s do it.”

He takes it very seriously, offering her his arm and guiding her over to the couch where he has two glasses of wine poured and a bunch of fancy foods he deemed sexy enough for tonight but still taste good. He bought a thirty dollar cheese that probably isn’t supposed to be melted in the microwave but he did his best.

“Oh my god, so this is what a mature rendezvous with the new Archie Andrews looks like,” she teases, clearly surprised but also impressed at his efforts.

“It’s not anything I’m sure you got used to being back in New York but I did my best. Though I hope you do appreciate it’s a step up from our real first date.”

She giggles at the memory. They went to Pop’s and spent half the night making out in the back booth and the other half dancing even though no one else was. He even brought a whole bag of quarters so they could play as many jukebox songs as they wanted.

“That was a fun night,” Veronica nods, raising an eyebrow slightly when he lays his arm across the top of the couch behind her back. “I thought we were here to have a  _ date _ .”

“We are,” he insists, sipping his wine and looking at her. “So, tell me, best story from working as a kick ass stock broker, go.”

They talk well into the night, going through two bottles of wine and a full pot of the pasta he made from his dad’s favorite recipe book. She gets him laughing so hard he nearly cries and there’s a point where she nearly shrieks when he tells her about gross things he had to do in the army while he was camped out in the wilderness. She’s always hated camping.

He likes hearing all her stories from wild college parties, something he never got to experience, and her life in the city. She’s perfect, he thinks to himself, probably for the millionth time today. 

He doesn’t think it can get much better than this.

She proves him wrong when she calls him sergeant and makes some flirty comment about how he should try on his old uniform for her sometime, and it’s ridiculously hot because the next thing he knows they’re kissing and clothes are coming off. He can’t think of a better way to christen the house now that it’s finished than by having her in every room of the house.   
  


They’re both already awake at whatever point the birds outside his window start to chirp in the morning, daylight shining through the linen drapes. 

She’s tracing the scars on his chest, old and new, and whispering things onto his skin he wishes were tattooed there.  _ I love you, I missed you, I’m so happy I’m here with you. _

He never wants to know another second without her beside him.

Archie guides her face up to look at him, cradling her cheeks and running his thumb over her smooth bottom lip. “I love you, Ronnie. So much.”

“I love you.”

He cooks her breakfast, and it’s sickeningly romantic how he stands between her legs while she’s propped up on the kitchen counter, feeding him bites of food. He enjoys her coffee flavored kisses and relishes how she holds him just because. 

If he has any say in the matter, there’s no way in hell he’s ever gonna let her slip away from him again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s not New York City, or the Wall Street trading floor, but honestly… She thinks this is better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as usual, this isn't proofread, enjoy

It’s not New York City, or the Wall Street trading floor, but honestly… She thinks this is better.

Obviously her days as a kick ass stock broker will live in her mind as some of the most thrilling of her life, but she likes her new career move, and it’s sustainable with what she wants and what she’s sure the future has to hold. Her jewelry store is in the works, it’s just been remodeled by Andrews Construction then she and Archie spent a weekend painting it a beautiful cream color. He was very galant to lend her some of his clothes since he knew she wouldn’t want to risk ruining her own clothing. 

She’s agreed to finish out the school year as Riverdale High’s economic teacher though, since most prospective teachers have contracts of their own and won’t be available until the fall, which is perfect because she’ll have something to keep her busy until her newest venture is ready for her.

Along with the jewelry, her apartment is also being renovated, and since Archie had been hired by Chad during some sort of testosterone induced showdown, Andrews Construction is the company doing the work still though Chad is so  _ not _ in the picture anymore. 

They’re technically still married but the divorce papers should be finalized within the month. She did like Chad and what they had, she maybe even loved him at a time, but he became a totally different person when they got married, someone  _ way _ too familiar to that of her father and she has no interest in becoming another one of the millions of women who quit their jobs to have babies at the drop of a hat just because they’re husband wanted them to. 

Maybe she was being too trusting or just blind but it took seeing him next to someone who she knows she loves to realize he’s not what she wants.

And speaking of Archie, well, things could not be better with the two of them. She had forgotten what that pesky butterfly feeling in her stomach felt like, something she thought only children experienced but the sensation hasn’t ceased since she’s been back in town.

She likes how he makes her feel, and while obvious paragraph long differences can be written about her relationships with Chad and Archie, she can’t really explain, rhyme or reason, as to why it’s different. It’s just always been different when it comes to Archie. It’s just….  _ Archie _ .

She enjoys the end of the school day, when she sits on the freezing bleachers reading whatever novel has currently caught her eye with his adorably school spirited Coaches jacket draped around her shoulders. She’s there to monitor her students working on the school in exchange for extra credit, this time they’re repainting the track.

But she’s also waiting for her guy. She’s obviously going to stay after school no matter how many times he insists she doesn’t need to, but he’s sweet to make it more pleasant by keeping her warm in the chilly weather by providing her with a fresh coffee and his jacket.

Not to mention, the view beyond the pages of her book is  _ very _ entertaining. Bless the maker of the denim jeans Archie Andrews is so biased towards, she’s very grateful for how well they fit him.

It reminds her of high school, how he used to wait for her cheer practice to end then he’d drive her home.

And she may pretend to not notice a lot, like how many lower classmen enjoy sitting in on her class while they aren’t signed up for it, but she doesn’t miss the comments coming from the team that make Archie’s ears go red. 

“Mrs. Andrews is waiting.” or “Giving her your jacket, Coach? Oh young love…” or any other sort of comment having to do with her that would elicit Archie Andrews’ trademark blush.

It’s nothing either of them haven’t heard before, he used to get teased a lot in high school for his romantic ways that just makes him so...  _ him _ .

“Ready, babe?” he asks, finally coming to meet her at the base of the stands once he’s adjourned practice for the evening. When he kisses her his stubble scratches her face, another staple of his new look that she thinks makes him look very handsome.

They go back to her place, he wanted to get some work done on the apartment and she has economics papers to grade anyways.

They decided to renovate the Pembrooke in halves, so it’s still inhabitable while the work is being done. Right now the kitchen, guest bathroom, living room, and servants quarters (now being used as a guest bedroom) are being done. And they haven’t discussed it but when they get to work on her bedroom she’ll probably just stay at Archie’s until it’s done.

She sits in her office, once her father’s but now  _ hers _ , working and finishing the last of the wine from the bottle she and Archie opened last night. They had a good time last night, him rubbing her shoulders while she read her book until the literature in her hands became second rate entertainment compared to his company.

It’s honestly adorable how much they both enjoy the domesticity of this semi new relationship. They, as people, aren’t new per say but they have changed a lot in seven years. Plus it’s different, they’re not teenagers anymore. No curfews or bed checks or a million other adolescent obstacles in their way. They’re adults, they can lounge around naked for however long they want or stay out until morning hours or drink without having to hide it from onlookers.

One of the things they were both adamant about when they got back together was that they wanted to learn these new versions of each other and catch up on what they missed. And that included hearing about things she wished she didn’t have to know. 

Even though the military benefited him a lot, it still wasn’t easy for him. It hurts her heart to see how difficult it is for him to talk about some of the aspects of his deployment, specifically combat. She knows about how he saved Jackson’s life after a grenade went off, how he carried him to safety. 

Archie’s one of the lucky ones to not have trouble adjusting back to civilian life, but some of the things he experienced in the war haunt him, maybe because it also reminds him of what happened to his dad, seeing his comrades get wounded or even die on the battlefield. 

She catches him walking by her classroom a lot during school hours, just to look through the window and make sure she’s okay, that nothing’s happened to her. Veronica knows he’s going to be fine, it’s different this time he tells her what he’s feeling. He has someone to talk to if he needs it but he’s alright. 

But she does notice how sometimes he holds her closer than usual at night, and she notices herself holding him back with the same care.

Veronica’s not sure how long they’ve been home before she hears a sigh and the sound of someone plopping down on one of the chairs in front of her desk. She looks up from her papers to see him stretching and looking at her tiredly.

“The bathroom is officially done, I just finished caulking it.”

She raises an eyebrow, thinking back to how when he explained the final step and she made a joke about it sounding sexual.

“Stop! It’s a water resistant seal! You’re too dirty minded,” he explains desperately, embarrassment in the form of red tinted ears on display. 

“Am I  _ too _ dirty minded, or are you just not dirty minded enough?” she poses the question, pointing her pen at him as he stands and leans over the desk.

“You’re too dirty minded,” he affirms once her lips are within reach. Archie kisses her for probably only the millionth time since they reunited and she’s not the least bit ashamed when she stands up to kiss him easier.

They decide to take a shower together (to save water of course) before they change into the pajamas and get in bed. It’s Archie’s turn to pick the movie they watch/don’t watch and tonight they’re due for a viewing of one of his many favorite superhero movies. 

She loves it when he stays over. She likes waking up wrapped in his strong arms (which have somehow gotten even more defined), feeling him play with her hair and whisper sweet little things to her until she’s ready to start the day.

That’s one of the things she thinks she’ll never miss about her life in New York, either waking up in bed alone to an alarm clock or leaving the house before Chad even woke up. 

She had completely forgotten the feeling of being in bed with someone who holds her all night long, not letting go for a second. It’s a quality that’s never been on her list of requirements until they started this again.

Like they usually do, they decide to order in from Pop’s. He looks very delectable standing in just his underwear, looking around the room for where he put his phone.

She watches him order their dinner on the phone, rambling on a list of food without even asking her what she’d like, even remembering to order onion rings. When he hangs up he notices her staring and immediately apologizes. “I’m sorry, is that not your order anymore? I can call Tabitha back-”

It’s probably the most perfect metaphor to explain what she’s feeling. Chad was perfect until he wasn’t, he was like her ideal partner until she realized there were just things about him at the core of his being that didn’t fit with her. She and him both mix in with a crowd of wealthy business people, they both belong in a place like  _ Mia’s _ . But the difference is Chad  _ wants _ to be there, but what Veronica’s grown to find out is where she  _ wants _ to be is a place with greasy onion rings.

She was gone for Riverdale for so long she forgot what makes a home feel like home, and as soon as she returned for a visit… She realized where she wanted to be was here, not in New York. This was her home.

“No, no, that’s exactly right,” she says, standing and walking towards him.

“Are you sure? Because seriously I can call back, it’s no trouble.”

Veronica smiles at how timid he is at the idea of upsetting her, especially this early on in what could be considered a new relationship, after all they may as well be entirely new people than who they were when they last dated. But for her, this all just feels like coming home.

She smooths her palms over his chest. “It’s perfect.”

They have dinner in bed, sharing an order of onion rings (no matter how many times she scolds him and tells him he should’ve ordered his own) and enjoying their burgers. 

He makes her laugh with his enthusiasm and anecdotes about  _ how cool _ superheroes are, like he’s in grade school presenting his new comic at show and tell.

She just agrees with him, nodding along to all of his commentary and smiling at how adorable he is. Eventually she falls asleep on him, and even though she’s passed out she can hear him whisper, “Goodnight, Ronnie.” as he turns off the film and curls up with her for the night.

What she missed most was him. She missed him more than Pop’s, or her friends, or sleeping close all night long. She missed their eyes locking and heart beats syncing, the feeling of never enough. 

This is what’s been missing these past seven years of her life and she’s not hesitant in the slightest about saying she’s not letting him get away again. Not now, not ever. 

_ This is it. _


End file.
